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Vernon council approves consent agenda, temporary budget and multiple contracts; Patricia Reiche named CFO
Summary
The council approved a broad consent agenda including several software and service contracts, adopted a temporary 2026 budget of $11,146,962, and appointed Patricia Reiche as Chief Financial Officer effective Feb. 2, 2026. The meeting authorized shared services agreements with the VTMUA and multiple professional service contracts.
The Vernon Township Council approved a consent agenda and signed off on a range of routine resolutions and contracts at its Jan. 15 reorganization meeting.
Among items approved were software maintenance with MUNIDEX for the township’s vital statistics system ($740 annually), required‑disclosure contracts for police and records software (Lawsoft Inc.), and a not‑to‑exceed contract with Spatial Data Logic for permitting/licensing software (up to $27,820.80 for 14 user licenses in 2026). The council also authorized multiple "inquiry only" memorandum of agreements allowing title and search firms to access the township’s tax and utility records via Edmunds & Associates at no cost to the township.
Council adopted a temporary 2026 budget appropriations resolution listing department line items and a total temporary budget appropriation of $11,146,962 to fund operations while the municipal budget is finalized.
Resolutions approved shared services with the Vernon Township Municipal Utilities Authority (VTMUA) for financial clerical support (2026 cost listed as $48,140) and for DPW emergency services; the council also authorized the town to prepare a shared‑services agreement for snowplowing services as needed.
Appointments and professional service awards were approved or introduced: Patricia Reiche was appointed Chief Financial Officer effective Feb. 2, 2026, with an annual salary set by municipal ordinance ($170,000). The council approved appointments for municipal prosecutor (Chirag D. Mehta), alternate municipal prosecutor (Maxwell J. Smith), and municipal public defender (John C. Grey); a slate of professional services contracts (township attorney, planner, engineer, auditor and others) was authorized contingent on required disclosures and filings.
Several routine contract awards were included on the consent agenda; all passed by roll call. Two separate resolutions (26‑12 and 26‑13) were placed on the floor and tabled during the meeting; the official minutes note that the roll call entry for resolution 26‑13 contains inconsistent listings that require clerk clarification.
The council also introduced four ordinances for first reading and scheduled future meetings; public notices will move to the township website beginning March 1, 2026 in compliance with P.L. 2025, c.72.
